English Composition 1
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Orientation: Using WebBoard
We will be using WebBoard extensively in this course, so it's important that you become familiar with using WebBoard as soon as possible. The Using WebBoard section of the course Web pages includes a lot of information that should help you as you are learning to use WebBoard. You should read the Using WebBoard Web pages carefully.
Overview
WebBoard is conferencing software that we use daily in English Composition 1 Online. It's important that you become familiar with the software as soon as possible and that you visit WebBoard at least every day or two to contribute to discussion assignments or other assignments.
You can access WebBoard with any Web browser, and you do not need to download any software to use WebBoard.
You can find the link to our course WebBoard near the top of the list of link on the left side of the course Home Page and on each of the primary course Web pages. WebBoard will also be linked on the assignment pages.
Becoming Familiar with WebBoard
The course Web pages include many pages with instructions on using WebBoard, so make sure to read those pages carefully. It might be best to read at least some of the Web pages and then to enter WebBoard to practice. You can then access the course Web pages later to read more about using WebBoard once you have gained some familiarity with how the program works.
You will need to set up your own WebBoard account before you enter WebBoard; the Using WebBoard: Logging into WebBoard page explains how.
I will set up a practice area in WebBoard to allow you to practice posting your messages. Please take advantage of this practice area, and don't worry about messing up anything as you are practicing. You can delete any of your own messages, and I can delete any messages posted by students, so we can delete any messages that are not posted in the right area.
How We Use WebBoard
You will use WebBoard to join in discussion assignments, to submit essays, to read graded essays, to read class announcements, and to ask questions. Typically, we finish the course with over 1000 messages posted in WebBoard.
Use WebBoard Instead of E-Mail
E-mail is great, but it's not effective as a means of communication in an online course. Instead of contacting me via e-mail, please try to get into the habit of communicating with me in WebBoard. As indicated below, you can send WebBoard messages so that they can be viewed by all members of the course, or you can send WebBoard messages so that only you and the instructor can access them.
Public Conferences
Most of the messages posted in WebBoard are viewable by all students in the class and the instructor. Conference areas in WebBoard are referred to as "public" if everyone can view the messages posted there.
Private Conferences
In addition to the public conferences, WebBoard also allows instructors to set up "private" conference areas. Soon after you log in to WebBoard, I will set up a private conference area for you. The title of the private conference area will be your name followed by the word "Private," as in John Doe (Private).
Only you and the instructor can see messages posted in your private conference area. Therefore, the private conference is where you will find graded essays and other correspondences not intended to be read by other members of the class. Your private conference area in also an excellent place for you to communicate any messages to me that you do not want the rest of the class to see.
However, if your message is not of a private or confidential nature, please post the message in a public conference area. Other students may have the same questions, concerns, or comments that you have, so my response to your message can answer questions for other students as well.
Four Things to Remember
It usually takes students a while to get used to WebBoard, so try not to get frustrated if you at first have trouble understanding how to use it. That's one thing to remember.
Second, you should also remember that we have many course Web pages that explain how to use WebBoard. The information linked to the Using WebBoard page should be helpful, so remember to read that information carefully and repeatedly if necessary.
Third, when you post messages, you must click the "Post" button twice, once to preview the message and to spell-check it, and a second time to post the message. Students sometimes claim that they post messages but are unable to see their posted messages. The problem usually is that a student clicked "post" only once, not twice, so that the message was previewed but never posted.
The fourth thing to remember is to contact me if you have any questions or if you get frustrated as you are trying to figure out WebBoard! Just see below for contact information.
Marking All Messages Read
WebBoard helps you find new messages quickly by keeping track of new messages that you have not yet marked as being read. For example, you might enter WebBoard and see "You have 6 new messages." We will have many messages posted in WebBoard, so the new messages need to stand out from the hundreds of previous messages that will soon accumulate in WebBoard.
In the black menu bar that runs across the top of the WebBoard screen, you will see the "Mark All Read" button. The "Mark All Read" button is important in helping you find new messages, but you need to click on this button after you have read all of the new messages posted in WebBoard. After clicking on "Mark All Read" in the black menu bar, you then need to click "Mark All Conferences Read" on the right side of the screen.
You should get in the habit of marking all messages read each time you enter WebBoard and read new messages. Otherwise, a few weeks into the semester, you might enter WebBoard and see something like "You have 189 new messages." There will be no easy way for you to find which messages you have read and which you have not read, so remember to click "Mark All Read" after each WebBoard session!
For more information, see Using WebBoard: Managing Messages.
What Else Should You Know?
Before you start using WebBoard, you should read the Web pages linked above and those pages linked below, all appearing on the Using WebBoard page:
After reading each page linked above, just click your Web browser's "Back" button to return to this page.
You might be the kind of person who learns best with hands-on experience. If so, just enter WebBoard and experiment. However, everyone will need some guidance in using WebBoard, and reading the Using WebBoard Web pages carefully can help.
A Story
Finally, understanding how to use WebBoard may be the biggest challenge for you at the beginning of the course. WebBoard is not difficult to use, but it does take some practice.
A student once told me that she was considering withdrawing from the course after the first week or two because she was having trouble getting used to WebBoard. However, the student stayed in the course, and she soon had no trouble using WebBoard. The student ended up earning an "A" in the course. That's a good story!
At the same time, a student will sometimes tell me that he or she just does not understand how to use WebBoard. I then enter WebBoard and see that the student has logged in to WebBoard only two or three times. I wonder why the student did not try harder to understand how to use the program.
Read the Using WebBoard pages carefully and practice using WebBoard. You will get used to it soon!
Questions?
Make sure to contact me, Randy Rambo, if you have any questions about using WebBoard or if you run into any problems with it. Just call me at 815-224-0338 or e-mail me at Randy_Rambo@ivcc.edu.